Automatic life-saving bench.



w. 1. THOMPSON.

AUTOMATIC LIFE SAVING BENCH.

APPLICATION HLED APR.22. 1915.

' Patented July 27,

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- IIHIHW 4M. vwanrsaw W. THOMPSON.

AUTOMATIC LIFE SAVING BENCH.

APPLICATION FlLED APR.22, 1915.

1,147,988. Patented July 27, 1915.

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WILLIAM JQHN THOMPSON, OF QUEBEC, QUEBEC, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC LIFE-SAVING BENCH.

memes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1&15.

Application filed April 22, 1915. Serial No. 23,645.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM JOHN THOMPSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, of No. 1 St. James street, in the city and Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and use ful lmprovements'in Automatic Life-Saving Benches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to life saving benches particularly adapted for use on ocean going ships, ferries and the like. Ships benches at present in use are, when -thrown overboard, very unstable and extremely liable to upset or roll over when a swimmer attempts to climb thereon, and one of the principal objects of the present invention is to overcome this objection by automatically releasing a stabilizer when the bench is floated.

Further objects are to provide a reserve of buoyancy, thereby rendering the bench capable of supporting a number of passengers, to simplify the construction and reduce the number of working parts and generally to adapt the several parts to better perform the functions required of them.

With the above objects in view the invention consists of the improved construction particularly described and set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings forming part of the same.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved bench. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the bench with the stabilizer released. Fi g. l is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the locking plate. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a chair embodying the invention. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of a double bench.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts in the several drawings.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the improved bench comprising the base 10 carrying the detachable back rest 11,, the said base being formed like a rectangular be having a life saving line 9 around the top thereof. The bottom of the base includes the longitudinally extending members l2 suitably connected by the transversely-extending members '13, 14: and 15, the first of which is provided intermediate of its length with a groove 16, the object of which will be made clear hereafter.

The bench is adapted to house an air reservoir Band to this end I close the ends of the base 10 with sliding dovetailed bars 1a which can be readily removed, thereby facilitating in placing the reservoir in position or removing the same. l

The bottom of the reservoir B is made sloping to increase the stability and is further provided intermediate of its length with double jawed catch members 19 of suitable resilient material. Cooperating with the reservoir B is a stabilizer comprismg flanged lee boards 20 and 21, the former of which car ies resilient catch members 22, the latter being provided with orifices 28 through which the said catch members are adapted to pass. These lee boards are hinged to the longitudinal members 12 in such a manner that when hanging vertically the flanges engage the said longitudinal members, thereby preventing the said lee boards being unduly rotated outwardly while the inward motion is governed by the looking plate 24 pivotally mounted to the transverse member 14, the said lock plate being suitably weighted and designed to be actuated by gravity.

in Fig. 6 a double seated bench is illustrated in which two air reservoirs B are housed, being separated by the longitudinally extending and weighted member to which the plates 26 are hinged in such a manner that they are onlycapable of being opened to a vertical position in which they are locked by the gravity actuated plates 2i hinged on the transversely extending member 1%. This modification only differs from the bench previously described in that the plates 26 form a center board whereas in the first type of bench they form lee boards.

In Fig 5 an air reservoir B is mounted on a chair C, the said reservoir being pro *ided with lugs 27 designed to facilitate in securing the reservoir in position while the stability of the chair is amply taken care of by providing a tapered keel plate 28 formed integral with the bottom of the reservoir.

lVhen a bench of this description has been thrown overboard, it will be clear that the upward thrust of the water on the reservoir B causes the same to rise upwardly inside of the bench until it engages with the top members thereof, and during this upward motion the double jawed catch members 19 are disengaged from the catch members 22 carried by the lee board 20 so permitting the said lee boards to fall into a vertical position in which their flanges engage the underface of the longitudinally extendextending member 18 allowing ample clearance for the double jawed catch member 19 in this operation.

Then the bench illustrated in Fig. 6 is thrown into the water the reservoirs B rise upwardly in the base 10, due to the upward thrust of the water, thereby releasing the double jawed catch members 19 from their coacting catch 22 permitting of the plates being rotated under gravity to a vertical position in which they are locked by the plates 24:. It will be clearly noticed in this type of bench that the plates 26 form a center board so it is almost impossible when climbing upon the said bench to overturn the same, while the angular disposition of the bottom of the air reservoirs materially helps in stabilizing the bench.

When the bench is withdrawn from the water the locking plate 24 is manually rotated upwardly, the lee board 21 being then folded over in position to coincide with the bottom faces of the longitudinally extending members 12 whereupon the plate 20 is rotated into a horizontal plane, the catch member 22 passing through the orifices '23 in the plate 21 and engaging the double awed catch members 19 on the bottom of the reservoir so loeking the lee boards in position and permitting of the bench being freely placed on the deck of a ship and used for the seating accommodation of the passengers;

From this description it will be seen that I have invented a bench which can be advantageously applied to ferries and the like providing the necessary seating accommodation for the passengers and which when thrown overboard can be freely used as a life saving device.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention, within the scope of the claims, constructed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

l/Vhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a bench of the class described and in combination, an air reservoir and automatically operable stabilizing means co'operating with the reservoir and forming a closure for the bottom of said bench when in inoperative position, substantially as described.

2.111 abench of the class described and in combination, an air reservoir, hinged plates mounted on the lower face of the bench adapted to be folded one upon the other, and locking means carried by the outer plate for locking both of said plates to said reservoir- 3. In a bench of the class described and in combination, an air reservoir having a sloping bottom, and double jawed catch members mounted thereon, plates hinged on the bottom of the bench, catch members mounted in one of the said plates adapted to engage with the double jawed catch members, substantially as described.

4. In a bench of the class described and in combination, an air reservoir raisably held within said bench, normally inoperative stabilizing plates cooperating therewith and means operated by the raising of said reservoir for rendering said plates operative.

5. In a bench of the class described and in combination, a slidable dovetailed member closing one end of the bench, an air reservoir housed in the bench, flanged plates hinged to the bottom of the bench and resilient means for engaging the said plates with the reservoir.

6. In a bench of the class described and in combination, an air reservoir, flanged plates pivotally mounted on the bottom of the bench and a gravity operated interlocking plate engaging with the said flanged plates.

7. In a bench of the class described and in combination, an air reservoir, pivoted plates cooperating therewith and means for locking the plates in a substantially vertical position against pivotal movement comprising a pivoted weighted plate disposed adjacent to the first mentioned plates and at right angles thereto.

8. In a bench of the class described and in combination, an air reservoir, pivoted stabilizing plates mounted in the baseof said bench, and means for releasing the said plates controlled by the flotation of the reservoir.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAlVI JOHN THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

J AMES MITCHELL, IVM. AAZMAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

